Red Valerian
by rrj2
Summary: A spell to learn more about Chris inadvertently sends Chris and the Charmed Ones to the unchanged future. What the sisters see there will cost Chris what little remains of their trust.
1. The White Flower

Chapter 1: The White Flower

"What did you do?" Chris asked through gritted teeth. Looking around, he saw a dismal landscape of decrepit buildings and litter strewn throughout the alley where he stood with the Charmed Ones.

"Uh oh," Phoebe quietly said.

"What did you do?" Chris repeated.

"We recited a spell . . ." Paige replied.

"To do what?"

"To find out about you," Piper answered.

"You went along with this?" Chris asked.

"Of course I did," Piper shot back. "After what we just went through, yeah, Chris. We decided to know whether we can really trust you or not."

"So we're in the future?" Phoebe asked.

"Yes," Chris responded coldly.

"How?" asked Phoebe.

"We said we wanted to see the future that Chris lived. This is how we're seeing it." Paige realized. "We need to get back to our time."

"That's going to take a powerful spell and that's going to take time," Phoebe commented. "How did you do it before?"

"I used a page from the Book, which I ripped out. It's in the past now," Chris said. "The magic you three just used is going to attract attention. First things first, we need to get out of here right now."

Piper glared at Chris suspiciously.

"This is a world without Elders and Cleaners. Evil magic is being used out in the open. Do you want to take your chances by being alone?"

Chris proceeded down the alley with the sisters following reluctantly. He guided them through a path of back roads and walkways until Paige stopped.

"Do you know where you're taking us?" Paige asked.

"There are a couple vacant warehouses up ahead. You three can stay there to work on a spell to get us back home. I think it's far enough that it'll be safe."

Phoebe noticed a cluster of white flowers. She bent down and picked up a stalk from the ground. "Well, it's nice to see that not everything here is so bleak."

The group suddenly heard light footsteps running.

Chris quickly whispered a spell and his appearance began to change, followed by the appearances of the sisters. However, the source of the footsteps, a young girl, managed to catch a glimpse of the Charmed Ones' real forms before the glamour completed.

"Hello, there," said Phoebe.

"You're the Charmed Ones!" the girl exclaimed.

Chris started to look anxious.

"What's your name?" asked Piper.

"I'm Sela. Did you come back to save us?"

"We're going to try," replied Phoebe, earning a grimace from Chris. She handed the flower to Sela.

"Let's just stick with this building here," Chris said. "I'll go grab some food for you three and take Sela home. This isn't a safe place to be alone. Work on the spell, but don't try it until I'm back."

"Glamour?" Paige soon asked.

"Seems so," Piper answered.

"Who are you?" Sela asked Chris as he guided her away.

"I'm their Whitelighter. How much do you know about the Charmed Ones?"

"A lot. I grew up listening to stories about them."

"Are you a witch?" Chris asked.

"I'm a gypsy. I'm so excited they're here!"

"I didn't know there were any gypsies left in this area," Chris remarked.

"After my parents died, my mom's brothers and sisters wanted to move away, but my dad's sisters convinced us to stay to carry out my parents' wishes. I've been practicing spells and now that the Charmed Ones are back, we might succeed."

"I'm sorry about your parents. I was only fourteen when my mom died. My dad died last year."

"Thanks, but I'm getting over it. My mom always says that we Jilricks are always strong and resilient."

Chris frowned. "Jilrick? Who are you parents?"

"Eamon and Milla Jilrick."

Chris exhaled. "Good. That makes this less difficult."

"What?" Sela asked.

Chris made a fist with his right hand and clenched it tightly. Sela began to gasp.

"You might not believe it and even if you do, it might not mean anything, but I am sorry. The world can't know that the Charmed Ones are here and the Jilrick line can't continue. Your parents' plan was crazy. Wyatt did the world a favor by killing them."

Sela soon collapsed onto the ground.

Chris looked around and noticed an awning that had fallen. He put the flower on Sela's chest and placed the awning over her. As Chris got up, he heard someone shimmer into the alley. Chris closed his eyes, knowing that he was going to face the last person he wanted to see.

"Chris?"

Chris turned around. "Hi, Wyatt."

The two brothers stared at each other for several moments before Wyatt slowly approached Chris and hugged him.

"I wasn't expecting this kind of reaction, not after last time," Chris commented.

'You know how things work when there are other people around."

"You were about to kill me."

"I was just upset. You know I wouldn't have done it. I just wanted you back."

Wyatt broke the hug to look Chris in the face.

"Did you get all that out of your system?" asked Chris.

"For now."

"Good," replied Chris. He then punched Wyatt across the face with one hand and then punched Wyatt in the stomach with the other. Using his telekinetic powers, he launched Wyatt into a wall, and then another.

"Did you get all that out of your system?" Wyatt asked.

"You killed Bianca!"

"I didn't mean to! I was just trying to get her off of me!"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Chris yelled.

"No, but you know that I never wanted to hurt you. You know that."

Chris hurled Wyatt into another wall and let out a scream.

"I'm sorry," said Wyatt.

Chris sat down on the ground next to Wyatt and buried his forehead into his hands.

"That's not how I wanted things to happen. I was trying my best to keep everything under control. I'm sorry, Chris. Chris, look at me."

Chris looked at Wyatt.

"I'm sorry," Wyatt said. He waved his right hand and removed Chris' glamour.

Chris closed his eyes.

"You've forgiven me for worse," said Wyatt. He pulled Chris into another hug.

"Just . . . give me more time," said Chris. "A lot more."

"I made a mausoleum for Bianca, like the mausoleums that you made for some other dead people. You can say good-bye to her."

Chris exhaled loudly.

"What are you doing back here, anyway?" Wyatt asked.

A look of frustration and disappointment quickly swept through Chris' face. He reprimanded himself for the expression because he knew that Wyatt was able to read it. Knowing that Wyatt could tell otherwise, Chris had to concoct an explanation that was true, in a way.

"They sent me back because they didn't trust me and they couldn't believe that you would end up ruling the world."

"I thought I felt the Power of Three. I've been looking for it. How could they not trust you?"

"I never told them who I was."

"They treated you like a stranger," Wyatt realized.

"Yeah."

"So, you're done?" asked Wyatt.

"Yeah," Chris answered, knowing what Wyatt meant.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, let's go home," Wyatt said while getting up onto his feet.

"Just like that?"

"I've forgiven you for worse," Wyatt answered.

Chris stood up and Wyatt put his arms around Chris and shimmered both back to his palace.

Wyatt and Chris reemerged in Chris' suite.

"Nothing's changed," Wyatt informed Chris. "I kept it all the same."

Chris glanced around.

Wyatt broke the silence. "What do you think about seafood for dinner?"

"You're just going to act like nothing's happened?"

"You're back," Wyatt answered. "That's what's important, so let's just enjoy that and move on."

"That's really it?"

"For our own sakes, yes."

Chris sighed. "Seafood would be good, then."

"Good. After dinner, I want you to accompany me out."

"You know I never liked doing that."

"You've been gone for too long. People have started to wonder about you."

"Why didn't you just use a glamour?"

"I couldn't do that while still trying to get the real you back."

* * *

Hours later, the Charmed Ones grew restless.

"I'm going to get some fresh air," said Phoebe.

"Don't go too far," Paige warned as she untangled some cords by an old television set she found. "Chris will freak if he sees you out there and I won't want to hear it. Where is he, anyway?"

"Hopefully he's all right out there," Piper commented. She was glancing over eight possible spells to open a portal back to the past.

The TV suddenly sprung to life.

"Ah ha!" Paige exclaimed. "It still works. Now, let's see what's going on around here."

"Oh, Chris is going to love that even more," said Piper.

Phoebe walked around the alleys and soon noticed shoes peeking out from under an awning. She slowly lifted the awning and gasped as she saw Sela with the flower on her chest. Phoebe dashed back to her sisters, only to see them transfixed on the television screen.

Wyatt and Chris were on TV observing the construction of a new building.

"Duke Christopher makes first public appearance in several months," Phoebe read from the screen.

"They-they said he prefers to stay away from the spotlight," Paige told Phoebe. "He liked being behind the scenes of Wyatt's kingdom. He's a part of it."

"We need to go," Phoebe realized. "We need to go right now."

* * *

Thank you for reading. I realize that there are a few other stories like this and I was going to wait until at least a couple of them were finished. However, I notice that they haven't updated in a while, so I decided it was time to post this story. I have to admit, though, that it has been a while since I've seen an episode of Charmed. Please excuse me if I'm a bit off with history, the mechanics of powers, or the like. Finally, this will likely be a revelation story, but that's not set in stone yet. Thanks again.


	2. Sanctuary

Chapter 2: Sanctuary

The Charmed Ones slowly walked up to the manor.

"It's a museum," Phoebe realized.

"That means there might be security cameras and guards," said Paige.

"Well, we're close enough. Let's try the first spell," Piper suggested.

"What's that?" Paige asked, referring to a probe.

The probe approached the three and scanned Piper first. It then glowed red and emitted a loud beeping noise.

"Oh, that can't be good," Phoebe commented.

Four demons shimmered into the area. Piper immediately blew one up. Another attacked the sisters with a long blade, but Paige used her powers to force the blade into the demon, killing him. Phoebe kicked and punched the third demon into submission, allowing Piper to blow him up. The fourth demon was ready to strike when a knife was plunged into her back. The Charmed Ones turned to her as she screamed, and then saw another witch holding the knife.

"Come on! More might be on the way!"

The sisters looked at each other before following the witch through some alleys.

"Are we really doing this again?" Paige asked.

"Who are you?" asked Piper.

"I'm Laurel," the witch responded as she stopped at a house and entered through a cellar door. "Come on."

The sisters were welcomed by a group of other magical entities.

"What is this place?" asked Phoebe.

"This is sort of a refuge," Laurel answered. "It's a hiding place until Darryl comes back."

"He's not coming back," someone said sharply.

"Darryl who?" Phoebe asked.

"Darryl Morris. He used to find people like us and transport us into a parallel dimension to be safe."

"What?" Piper asked. "How? He's doesn't have powers."

"He has a special amulet. He uses it to open a portal."

"But he's been gone for a while?" asked Paige.

"He's probably been killed. If he's been captured, there's no point in keeping him alive," someone said.

"Who are you?" Piper asked.

"I'm Katie. Our numbers have been growing here and our resources, like space, are dwindling. We'll need a plan B soon, preferably before we start to starve and before we're found out."

"Can James and Anna help again?" another suggested.

"Any other ideas?" someone else asked.

"No need, I'm here," Darryl suddenly said.

Laurel ran to Darryl and hugged him. "Darryl! What happened?"

"I was captured, but there was a lot of activity when Duke Christopher reappeared and I managed to break out."

Darryl eyed the Charmed Ones suspiciously.

"They're new," Laurel informed. "I just brought them here a few minutes ago."

"Can we talk to you?" Piper asked Darryl.

"Actually, if you don't mind, this would be a good time to open the portal," Katie noted. "Do you still have the amulet?"

"Yeah," Darryl replied. "I grabbed it from its hiding spot on the way here."

"It's time!" a leprechaun cried.

Activity began to bubble in the house as people gathered their belongings. The rush of various groups prevented the sisters from even approaching Darryl.

"Where did you get that amulet?" Phoebe asked, over the crowd.

"It was a gift from the Charmed Ones," Darryl replied as he began rubbing the amulet.

A portal opened along the wall, revealing a room on the other side.

"Hey! You're back!" said someone on the other side.

"Paige?" Piper exclaimed.

"You know me?" the other Paige asked.

"A moment, please," someone requested.

The conversation was interrupted when the flood of inhabitants crossed over to the other side.

Three people appeared to be the last.

"Kirk, Elaine, are you sure you want to stay?" Laurel asked near the portal.

"Someone needs to," Kirk replied. "There are plenty of more people out there who will need this portal."

"Actually, you should go," Darryl said.

"Why? What's wrong?" Elaine asked.

"I didn't want to say it before, but I'm not well. After what I went through, I don't have much more time."

"Darryl," Piper quietly said.

"I'll take the amulet," Kirk said. "We'll continue your work."

"I'm sorry," Darryl replied. "The Charmed Ones entrusted it to me. I'm the only one who can operate it."

Kirk and Laurel looked at each other, uncertain about what to do.

"You've saved a lot of people," Laurel finally told Darryl. "A lot of people owe their lives you to and you did an amazing thing. The Charmed Ones would be proud of you. It's okay if it can't last. Kirk, Elaine come on."

Kirk and Elaine stepped through the portal.

"I'm going to keep on doing this as long as I can," said Darryl, earning a nod and hug from Laurel.

"You three?" Laurel asked the sisters.

"We knew the Charmed Ones," Paige answered. "Out of respect for them, we're going to stay on this side for a little while and take care of Darryl."

"I'd love to heard about them from you," said Darryl.

"Take this," Laurel told Phoebe, handing over a business card. "They can help. Darryl hasn't met them yet, but I trust them."

Laurel stepped through to the other side.

"Can you keep it open a little longer?" Phoebe asked Darryl about the portal.

"Yeah."

"Good," said Phoebe as she looked around. With no one else seemingly on her side and the refugees on the other side being guided away by others, she turned to the Paige on the other side.

"Paige, Darryl, it's us! I'm Phoebe. This is Piper and our Paige. We're from the past! We have a glamour on."

"What? How?" the other Paige asked.

"Chris - " Paige began.

"That would be Duke Christopher," Piper corrected. "He went to the past, telling us he was trying to save the future. We didn't really trust him, so we recited a spell to learn the truth that accidentally sent us back here."

"So what are you doing here? How did you get separated?" Darryl asked.

"We found out that he's a part of Wyatt's regime, so we split," said Paige.

"Wait, go back a step," said the Paige in the other dimension. "You didn't really trust him, so you tried to find out about him?"

"Yeah," Piper responded.

"You don't know who he is?" the other Paige asked.

"No, who is he?" Paige answered.

The other Paige hesitated.

"Oh, no. We have had enough of him not telling us anything," said Phoebe. "You can't keep this to yourself, Paige."

"I'm sorry. I don't want to be the one to tell you. I'm sure you'll find out and when you do, you'll understand. I'm sorry in so many ways. I really am."

"So, he's part of an evil empire there, too?" Paige asked.

"No, Wyatt is good here and so is Chris."

"Well, we wrote a few possible spells to send us back to the past," informed Piper. "We'll use the Power of Three to get us back home and we'll leave Chris here."

The portal began to fade.

"There's a limit and we're pushing it," Darryl said.

"Take care of yourselves, then," said the other Paige. "Good luck."

The sisters bid the other side farewell and the portal then closed.

"Well, I would like to rummage around this place first to look for some food," Paige commented.

"Right, then we'll head back home," Phoebe agreed, standing next to Paige. "I also want to look for weapons. If Chris was actually truthful and the Power of Three will give us away, we might need to defend ourselves."

"You know, I don't think Chris is really that bad," said Darryl. "I think there's something else going on and Wyatt's held back because of him."

"It doesn't matter. We're going to raise Wyatt right and keep him away from any brunettes named Chris," declared Piper.

"You sound like you're blaming Chris," Darryl noted.

"I'm not, but I doubt he's helping."

"I think there's more going on."

"You're taking his side? asked Piper.

"No, but you know that things aren't always what they seem."

Darryl looked around and noticed Phoebe and Paige gone. "Where did they go? I could have just told them where the food is."

Darryl went after Phoebe and Paige and Piper followed. He turned the corner and saw a stairway with lights on.

"I'm afraid to ask," began Piper. "Where's Sheila?"

Darryl looked at Piper and suddenly dashed down the stairs.

Piper followed and realized that the basement she was in resembled a mausoleum. In the distance, she noticed a kitchen that emitted a pleasant aroma.

"Phoebe? Paige?" Darryl cried.

Darryl and Piper suddenly stopped as they found Phoebe standing over a coffin.

Phoebe looked up at Darryl. "Why is your name on this casket?"

* * *

Thank you very much for the follows, favorites, and reviews, including the constructive criticism from an anonymous guest.


	3. Tombs for the Prophets

Chapter 3: Tombs for the Prophets

"Sheila's in there," Darryl said. "I put my name there so people will know that's where I belong when it's my turn to die."

"That's not true," Paige said from behind. "Sheila's name is here, on this casket. What's going on? Who are you?"

"It's not what you think," Darryl tried to argue.

"Tell us the truth, or we'll use a spell to make you," warned Phoebe.

"You can't use your powers!" Darryl said.

It was Piper's turn to speak. "So you say, but why should we trust you, Chris? Drop the act."

Chris glared at Piper and then dropped the glamour.

"I'm not the bad guy," said Chris.

"You're the one who's been impersonating our dead friend," Phoebe countered.

"I never go out in public like this without a glamour. I can't because of who I am."

"And who are you?" Paige asked.

"You already know that."

"What about the amulet?" Phoebe asked.

"What about it?"

"What is it? How'd you get it to open a portal?" asked Phoebe.

"It's not the amulet," Paige realized. "It's you. Since when did you become that powerful?"

"Since I came back to my own time, where I belong and closer to W - "

"Closer to what?" Phoebe asked.

"I can't tell you. Besides, it took me a very long time to come up with a spell and a proper channel."

"We're going to try the spells to get us home now," said Piper, frustrated. "You're not coming with us."

"You can't leave me here. We still haven't figured out who turns Wyatt."

"And what will you do when you find that person?" asked Piper. "Help?"

"I have been trying my hardest to prevent this future."

"Or cause it," Phoebe suggested. "You're the duke."

"Exactly!" Chris yelled. "I'm practically the prince here and despite that, I took a huge risk by going into the past to hunt demons, putting my life on the line every day. Before that, I was pretending to be Darryl. I was trying to honor his memory and get people to safety. If I was the bad guy, if I was truly on Wyatt's side, I wouldn't have done any of that. I could have had a good and easy life here."

"Who are you?" Piper asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you the duke?"

"Wyatt suggested a few titles for me and this one seemed the least imposing."

"That's not what I meant."

"There's one way you could be the prince here," Paige quietly said to no one in particularly.

Some faint whispering caught everyone's attention.

Chris extended an arm and telekinetically pulled forward two women.

"Who are you?" Chris asked.

"My Duke, it is a pleasure to hear your voice. I am Marionna Cosenti and this is Becklyn Dreifort."

"Why didn't you go through the portal?" asked Chris.

"We were about to cross over. We heard Darryl talking about not being able to do it for much longer and we were about to rush through, but then we heard that the Charmed Ones have come," Becklyn answered. "We felt hope again."

Chris narrowed his eyes. "You're gypsies," he realized. "I heard someone talk like that recently."

"Sela," Phoebe interjected; "who you killed!"

Marionna and Becklyn looked at each other, both slightly panicked.

"We must act now," Marionna said. She began a spell with Becklyn.

"Powers that surround us - "

Chris stopped the gypsies by telekinetically closing their mouths and glamoured himself again to look like Darryl. "That's enough out of you. Protect this world from a much worse fate; gypsies before me, hear my mandate. Memories fall unto my power, forget what happened this past hour."

Marionna and Becklyn began to waver as they lost their memories. Chris also began to feel unsteady himself but managed to orb the two gypsies away.

"What are you doing?" yelled Paige.

"I know you don't trust me right now, but this group of gypsies is really bad news," Chris said weakly. He soon keeled over and fell onto the ground.

The sisters looked at Chris cautiously.

Chris began to glow until a figure stepped out, revealing Wyatt. As soon as Wyatt solidified, Chris regained his composure.

"So, this is what's happening," Wyatt remarked.

"Wyatt, what did you do?" asked Chris.

"What do you think?" Wyatt answered, ignoring the dropped mouths of the Charmed Ones. "Did you really think I'd trust you completely? You told me that you'd never lie to me."

"I didn't have a choice. They came back by accident. Let them go back to the past."

"This is a great opportunity, Chris," Wyatt responded while conjuring a ball of energy. "Imagine how much easier things would be if they died right now."

"Wyatt?" Piper finally asked.

"You need to send them back home!" Chris yelled, ignoring his mother.

"I'm not going to pass this up," replied Wyatt, also ignoring the sisters.

"You can't kill them!"

"Why not?"

"Because I haven't been conceived yet!" Chris yelled. He regretted the outburst immediately.

"What?" Phoebe replied.

Wyatt turned to Chris. "Are you serious?"

Chris sighed. "Yeah."

"Do you realize how irresponsible that was? You could have prevented your own existence!"

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Wait, can we back up here?" Phoebe requested. "You're family?"

"Yes, Aunt Phoebe," Chris said. "Wyatt, we need to send them back."

"I'm sending mom back so she can get pregnant," responded Wyatt. "Aunts Phoebe and Paige will stay here and die."

"No, they all need to go back. There's too much at stake."

"No kidding!" Wyatt yelled.

"You have no idea what I've given up for the good of this world. You don't know what I've sacrificed to prevent you from becoming evil."

"I already told you that I'm not evil!"

"You thinking that makes it worse. I'm running out of options and running low on time to save you from all of this. I'm just trying to fix things."

Wyatt approached Chris and kissed his forehead. "Everything will be all right, Chris. Let me be the one to fix things, starting with you."

Wyatt put his hands on the side of Chris' head. Chris started to groan in pain.

"What are you doing?" Piper asked.

"Following my little brother, for a change, and playing with some memories. I'll take care of you three next, mother. Just give me a minute."

Though weakened, Chris summoned all the strength he had left and extended his right arm towards the Charmed Ones.

"No!" Wyatt cried as the Charmed Ones orbed out by Chris' power. He could not see the sister's appearances changing again with another glamour spell.

Chris finally passed out into Wyatt's arms and Wyatt shimmered them back to Chris' suite, unaware of a pair of eyes that witnessed what had happened from a distance.

Chris soon began to stir.

"Chris?" Wyatt asked. "How are you feeling?"

"What happened?"

"You were attacked," Wyatt answered.

"Who would dare do that?"

"Someone suicidal. What was the last thing you remember?"

"We were standing on the palace grounds, welcoming a delegation from Australia."

"What happened there?"

"There were cameras around us and someone asked me a question about the Valhalla situation. I didn't know how to respond."

"You looked so sheepish," Wyatt commented with a small smile.

"You asked me what was wrong so I told you I didn't know what to say."

"And I answered for you," said Wyatt.

"Then later, you said the whole incident was amusing, so I should always talk through you whenever I'm in public without a glamour."

"That's the last thing you remember?"

"Yeah," Chris finally said after several moments.

Wyatt smiled slightly again, aware that Chris was recalling one of the earlier days of his reign and had forgotten everything after.

"What's wrong?" asked Chris. "I know I'm missing something."

"Don't worry about it, Chris. Everything is fine now."


	4. Blackout

Chapter 4: Blackout

From a rear entrance, Phoebe walked into the basement of a worn house with a bag of groceries.

"James, Anna, I was lucky enough to find some fresh produce on sale," Phoebe announced.

"Thanks, Phoebe," James responded. "We should have this ready in about twenty minutes."

"I'll wash up," said Phoebe. After she put the groceries down, she headed to a den, where Paige was.

"You're back."

"I'm back. Where's Piper?"

"She went out for a walk," answered Paige. "She should be back any second now."

"Have you talked to her?"

"Yeah, but I'm not having any more success than you."

"I know you want to go home," said Phoebe.

"So do you. It's been a week"

"I'm just trying to put myself in Piper's shoes. One of her sons is evil. I don't think I could accept the fact that a second one is, too."

"That's not it," Piper said from behind Phoebe.

"Then what is it?" Phoebe asked.

"How long has Chris been our Whitelighter? He's spent so much time with us and I never suspected that he's my son."

"He didn't want us to know," Paige pointed out. "He did a good job keeping that secret. You can't blame yourself for his plan working."

"I just want to give him the benefit of the doubt. That's why I want to stay and talk to him," said Piper. "If he's really trying to change this world, we owe it to everyone to help him."

"It's not just guilt talking?" asked Phoebe.

"It's really not. You heard what he said to Wyatt. I really think he was honest."

Paige and Phoebe glanced at each other.

"This isn't maternal instinct or gut feeling," explained Piper. "I apparently don't have any of that when it comes to Chris. This is rational, objective judgment."

"Okay, then," said Paige.

Phoebe smiled. "We'll stay for a while and try to reach Chris."

"We need to figure out how to do that and how many allies we have," Paige suggested. "If Wyatt wiped out too much of Chris' memories, he might not recognize us."

"I didn't even recognize us with this new glamour," Phoebe quietly commented.

"But we can't exactly march up to Wyatt's palace looking like our real selves," Paige finished.

"We get to Chris and then drop the glamour," Piper suggested. "If he doesn't remember his time as our Whitelighter, we will still be his family. He'll still listen to us, even if he's the duke."

"I think it should just be the three of us," said Phoebe, "We can't risk anyone else's lives if we fail."

"I don't want to risk either of your lives," said Piper. "I'm safe. You heard Wyatt."

"Oh, Piper, you know we aren't going to let you do this alone."

* * *

At Wyatt's palace, a demon gave a report to Wyatt and Chris.

"The reappearance of so many gypsies can't be a coincidence," Chris commented.

"Our reports indicate that some were already here," said the demon. "Something happened to encourage the arrival of more."

Wyatt nodded and the demon departed.

"It would have been nice to know what happened," Chris said.

"It's not important," replied Wyatt. "I want them all eradicated."

Chris nodded.

"Are you really okay with that?" Wyatt asked.

"Yeah. The only reason they'd come back is for this."

"I know you don't always approve of my actions. It's why I suggested the white outfits for you."

Chris looked slightly surprised.

"It's okay," Wyatt claimed. "You can disagree while remaining a loyal brother."

"I agree about this," Chris responded. "I'm guessing that the gypsies who aren't involved aren't anywhere near San Francisco."

"There are still a lot out there unaccounted for," said Wyatt. "I have a feeling that they will implement the Jilricks' plan soon. I want you to lead a group of demons to find the rest in San Francisco."

"What?" Chris asked.

"I know you don't like to be involved with these things, but I need your help."

* * *

Elsewhere, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige were finishing dinner with James and Anna.

"Thank you again for helping us this past week. We can't even begin to express how grateful we are," said Piper.

"There aren't enough good witches around anymore," said James. "If someone's able to do something about Wyatt Halliwell, it's almost an obligation to help."

"So what are your plans?" asked Anna.

"We think the duke is the key," Phoebe answered. "We hope we can appeal to him to rebel and help us."

"I've told James before that Duke Christopher doesn't seem very interested in his brother's governance, but expecting him to betray his brother is a very different deal."

"It's a huge risk," said Piper. "We know that, but if it works, it will pay off exponentially."

"What can we do to help?" asked James.

"Like Piper said, it's a risk," responded Paige. "There's a chance we'll fail and we'll be killed. We can't ask you two to take any chances."

Anna opened her mouth to speak.

"We're doing this without you," said Piper before Anna could say anything. "It's not your choice and you can't do anything about it, so just stay home and live your lives."

James and Anna looked at each other before hesitantly looking back at the sisters. They finally nodded.

"I think my parents would appreciate the irony of Wyatt Halliwell being brought down by three sisters named after his parents."

"Who were your parents?" Phoebe asked.

"Lynette and Nathan Shuren," Anna answered. "They're actually still alive. They moved to Oregon a few years ago. For their sake, we'll stay here."

"Thank you," responded Piper.

The sisters looked over to the TV which had been muted, but was on. Footage of a public execution from earlier in the day was being shown. In contrast to the dark casual clothes worn by Wyatt and the demons, Chris wore an ornate white outfit with red trim.

* * *

In another part of the city, Chris and four demons arrived at a small house. Seeing four gypsies, Chris immediately flung them into a wall using his telekinetic powers.

"Search the house," Chris ordered.

The demons complied while Chris approached the gypsies.

"Tell me you aren't here to manipulate the All," said Chris. "Go on."

The gypsies looked at each other, concerned.

"Great," Chris sarcastically commented. "Most of you had scattered. What changed?"

"The Charmed Ones," a gypsy answered.

"What about them?" asked Chris.

"The Power of Three is a part of the power matrix in the All again. We must take advantage of this opportunity."

"How is that possible?"

The gypsies looked at each other again with concern.

"You were smart enough to answer me truthfully before. Don't be stupid now."

"But you were there with the Charmed Ones and Marionna and Becklyn."

"What?"

"Marionna and Becklyn summoned me to the house. We hid and watched you clear their memories. Then, he manipulated your memories."

"Who?'

The demons returned.

"Duke Christopher, there is no one else here."

"Who is organizing this plan and where is that person?" Chris asked the gypsies.

"Ben Williard," a gypsy answered. "He's found sanctuary in a library at the corner of Forrest and Shepherd."

Chris extended his arms towards the gypsies, but hesitated.

"Duke Christopher?" a demon asked.

Chris puts his arm down and closed his eyes. "Kill them," he reluctantly ordered.

After the gypsies were killed, Chris and the demons teleported to the library.

* * *

The Charmed Ones slowly approached Wyatt's palace.

"He's probably on one of the higher floors, right?" Piper said.

The sisters looked at a large four-story palace with two wings that ran perpendicular to what looked like the main base of the building. Large dormers penetrated the roofline of the top floor.

"Wyatt would probably be in the middle section there," suggested Paige. "Chris would be in one of the two wings, I'm guessing. We'll just check out both of them."

The three sisters sneakily approached a sentry. However, the sentry noticed and summoned four witches to help defend the palace.

In the library, Chris approached the center while people watched. He whispered to one of the demons.

"By order of Duke Christopher, Ben Williard must present himself."

A few people walked quickly out of the library while others stared. Ben Williard slowly walked to Chris.

Chris whispered to a demon.

"You are coordinating the Jilricks' plan?" the demon asked.

"Yes, I am."

"Where are the others?"

"They are scattered across the region. They will be reciting their spells any time now."

Chris grabbed Ben and orbed himself and Ben to Wyatt.

"I think we're too late," Chris told Wyatt.

"You are," Ben reported. "We have been monitoring our locations. We know what you have done. The rest of us are in position and about to start."

Outside, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige fought the demon and witches. The demon and one witch were vanquished.

Inside, Wyatt frowned as he felt a wave of power. He quickly grabbed Chris and embraced him as a field of energy swept through the western part of the country. He then turned and knocked out Ben.

"Are you okay?" Wyatt asked.

"Yeah."

"Good," Wyatt answered. He then shimmered through various rooms in the palace to assess the situation.

Outside, a witch threw a knife at Piper. Piper tried to freeze it in place, but when she realized she couldn't, quickly dodged it.

"Our powers are gone!" Phoebe realized.

"So are theirs," Paige commented.

The fight quickly resumed as the witches exchanged punches and kicks. The Charmed Ones eventually knocked out their opponents when Wyatt appeared.

Piper looked around as normal humans exhibited short bursts of powers and then she turned her attention back to Wyatt.

The sisters couldn't help noticing the frustration on Wyatt's face.

"What did you do?" Wyatt asked.


	5. Heat

Chapter 5: Heat

Piper kneeled down and bowed her head. "Please forgive us for the intrusion. We were passing by when we saw that your sentries needed help."

"What did you see?" Wyatt asked.

"Power surges, I believe. One of your sentries appeared to lose control and a burst of energy knocked the others out before he fell unconscious."

"Is that all?"

"We do not understand power, but have respected it as long as we have been aware of demons and witches," Piper answered. "That is all we could see."

"Very well," replied Wyatt. "Depart from here."

Piper quickly walked away, followed by Phoebe and Paige.

"He didn't recognize us," Paige quietly said.

"He still has his powers," Piper stated. "If he has his powers, then he was the cause of the loss or was protected. Either way, there's a good chance that Chris has his powers, too."

"Our glamour was Chris' spell," Phoebe remembered.

"And that might be the way to him," Piper said. "We need to get our powers back, first. We need to understand what just happened."

"I think we should go back to James' and Anna's," suggested Phoebe. "We don't have a lot of options right now."

* * *

Inside, Wyatt appeared at Chris' side in a den where Ben was lying unconscious on a couch.

"It's what we predicted would happen," Wyatt told Chris.

"Is it just the witches?"

"Yes," Wyatt said as he began shaking Ben.

Ben finally started to wake up.

"We need to know the wording of the spell that caused this mess," Chris said.

"I'm not telling you. People obey you and tell you the truth only because they fear the demons who would do anything to impose your will, but I don't fear any of you."

"You were more helpful in the library," stated Chris.

"I didn't want others to get hurt and you were too late, anyway."

"Do you truly not fear me?" Wyatt asked.

"All you can do is hurt and kill me," replied Ben.

"I still have my powers. Don't underestimate the pain that I can cause."

* * *

As Piper, Phoebe, and Paige approached James' and Anna's neighborhood, they saw a fireball form inside a different house. They ran in when someone inside screamed in agony. When they arrived, a young man was crouching on the ground by the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Piper asked.

"I can't control it!" the man cried. As a second fireball started to form in his hands, he grabbed himself, burning some of his clothes, and curled into a fetal position,

"What's your name?" Paige asked.

"Linc. You should leave."

Piper bent down and took one of Linc's hands. "Linc, these powers aren't easy to handle. It's okay if you're struggling and it's okay to burn things, okay?"

"I don't know what to do," Linc weakly replied.

"I understand. Just breathe in and out a few times and relax," Piper calmly said. "Don't worry about your powers or anyone else around you. Just close your eyes and think about the earliest birthday you can remember. Relax. Who was at that birthday?"

Linc seemed to pay no attention.

"Linc, who was at that birthday?" Piper repeated.

"My parents," Linc answered. "A few cousins and uncles."

"How old were you?"

"I think ten."

"Just keep on reliving that moment," Piper told Linc.

Linc soon exhaled and opened his eyes.

"Whatever is going on, you can control it," Piper stated.

"What is going on?" Linc asked.

"We're not sure," Phoebe answered. "Somehow, witches in the area lost their powers and other people gained them."

* * *

In Wyatt's palace, Chris and Wyatt continued their interrogation of Ben.

"Here these words, hear my spell," Chris recited. "What we ask, you will tell. Answer all we query, or face all our fury."

"Now, what was the spell used to take away the witches' powers?" asked Wyatt.

"I don't know."

"Great," Chris sarcastically commented. "Why not?"

"Someone else wrote the spell. I just set up the timing."

"I want names and locations," Wyatt stated.

After Ben gave the brothers the information they wanted, Wyatt telekinetically pushed Ben into a wall.

"I'll put him in one of your prisons while you find the other gypsies," Chris offered.

Wyatt gave a subtle nod and shimmered out.

"Are you okay?" Chris asked as he approached Ben.

"My head hurts. I think I'm going to have a few bruises."

"Are the Charmed Ones here?"

"Yes," Ben answered.

"How do you know?"

"Two gypsies saw them in a safehouse and got word out to others."

"Am I supposed to know this?"

"Yes."

"Was I with the Charmed Ones?" Chris asked.

"Yes."

"Tell me what the gypsies saw."

"They saw you change your appearance and erase Marionna's and Becklyn's memories. Then, your brother appeared. You told him to help the Charmed Ones, but it looked like he erased your memories instead."

"What happened to the Charmed Ones?"

"You teleported them away."

Chris recited a spell to make Ben forget this conversation and then took him to a dungeon.

"Duke Christopher," a demon called. "We are under attack by gypsies."

"Are you all handling it?"

"Yes, but I do not think we are the only ones being targeted."

"Who else are they attacking?" asked Chris.

"Anyone with powers."

"They must be trying to get the powers to move again."

* * *

Wyatt appeared in a rural farmhouse and looked around. "Show yourself, and I will make your death quick."

A gypsy slowly approached Wyatt.

"You were warned that this plan wouldn't work. Look at the mess you have created."

"It wasn't a complete failure. I have a power that I like a lot. It goes well with my original power."

"Do you think you can usurp me?"

The gypsy swiped her arm across the air. She grew concerned when Wyatt shifted only a few inches.

"That was pathetic," Wyatt said blasting the gypsy into a wall.

"Tell me the wording of the spell you used or I will extract it from you using the most painful way I can imagine."

* * *

Back in San Francisco, the sisters continued trying to help Linc control his new pyrokinetic powers.

Linc lost control of a fireball and it flew through a window, shattering it.

"It's okay," Phoebe assured. "Other people have done more damage while learning their powers."

"It would be really nice to know if this is permanent or not and how to change it if it's not."

"Unfortunately, the people who'd know aren't people we can simply approach," Paige said. "From the looks of it on TV, demons still have powers."

"I can help with the powers," someone said.

"Who are you?" asked Linc.

"I'm Ryan. I saw the fireball and rushed in to see what happened. I can help you get rid of that power."

Two more people arrived, standing behind Ryan.

"How?" asked Linc.

Sparks grew around Ryan's hands. Immediately, he shot a blast towards Linc and the sisters.

The Charmed Ones quickly dodged while an unprepared and distracted Linc was hit in the throat.

Neither Phoebe nor Paige hesitated to retaliate. Paige grabbed a pan that was on a stove while Phoebe resorted to her fists and legs. They dodged Ryan's energy balls and took on the three intruders. Piper saw that Linc was bleeding profusely and tried to apply pressure to his neck.

"Who are you?" Paige demanded.

"Never mind us," Ryan responded. "I'm surprised you'd attack a gypsy without powers."

"We've never needed powers to kick butt."

Paige and Phoebe held off the gypsies, but soon found themselves on the floor when one gypsy got the upper hand and telekinetically shoved them down.

A large fireball shot through the air above the sisters' heads and hit the three gypsies, immediately killing two.

Paige and Phoebe looked back, where Piper stood above Linc's body. Piper had fireballs in her hands and approached the surviving gypsy, who was still burned over most of his body and breathing with difficulty.

"Why did you attack us?" Piper asked.

"The spell didn't work as we intended. We're trying to fix it."

"You're talking about the powers, aren't you?" Paige asked. "You were responsible?"

"Gypsies have been overlooked for far too long while witches get the attention and the protection."

"So you cast a spell to give you the witches' powers," Phoebe summarized. "Chris was right about this being wrong. And he and Wyatt still have their powers."

"You know them?" the gypsy asked weakly. "You're witches."

"Were," Paige corrected. "We will be again soon."

The gypsy finally died and the sisters looked at each other.

"Feel like going back to Wyatt's?" Phoebe questioned.

* * *

Chris was rummaging through his room when he found a seashell that Piper had given him when he was nine years old. He then retrieved a crystal and a map.

Wyatt shimmered into Chris' room.

"I have the wording of the spell," Wyatt announced.

"And a trail of corpses, I assume," Chris answered while tucking the scrying materials beneath some papers on his desk.

"I killed all those responsible. Now, we can precisely counteract this mess. Help me write a spell."

* * *

Later, the Charmed Ones arrived near Wyatt's palace.

"That's a lot of sentries again," Paige commented.

"The news said that attacks on the palace are frequent. We just need to wait for another one for a distraction," replied Phoebe.

Inside, Chris and Wyatt were trying to finalize their spell.

"I want my idea for the last line," said Wyatt.

"This will work better," Chris countered.

"When the powers leave, I went them to come to me."

"One step at a time, Wyatt."

Action outside the palace caught Chris' and Wyatt's attention.

"Here we go again," Chris commented.

Wyatt sighed in frustration. "I despise gypsies. Let's recite the spell now."

As a battle began outside, the sisters snuck into the palace. They were immediately accosted by two guards and Piper launched fireballs at them. Two more sentries arrived and Piper created another large fireball.

Suddenly, the fireball vanished and Piper had to duck to evade a sentry's attack.

"Our powers are back!" Piper quickly realized. She blew up a sentry and Paige telekinetically vanquished the last sentry.

Chris went to a window to see the results of the spell and Wyatt joined him.

"You should see if everything is back to normal," Chris suggested.

As soon as Wyatt shimmered out, Chris quickly got out the scrying materials before pausing. He glanced back outside with a frown and orbed out.

The Charmed Ones continued to make their way down a hall when Chris orbed in front of them. He looked at the sisters with curiosity while the sisters looked at him with caution.

"Do you recognize your own spell?" Piper finally asked.

Chris slowly waved his wave to remove the glamour.

"Mom?"


	6. Piper's Gift

Chapter 6: Piper's Gift

Chris hugged Piper.

"I heard you were here, but I didn't understand why," Chris said. "I think Wyatt took some of my memories."

"We know," replied Piper.

"Then what happened? How are you here?"

"You went to the past to prevent all this," Piper responded. She glanced at her sisters. "We didn't fully trust you, so we all came here to see this for ourselves."

"Why didn't you trust me?"

"You wouldn't tell us who you were, or much of anything, really," Phoebe replied.

"You were really secretive, but we're still sorry for doubting you," Paige added.

"Don't worry about it. We need to get you back to the past as soon as possible. Wyatt's going to try to absorb all the witches' powers in the world."

"Can he still do that?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah, there's still a small window before everything stabilizes. Your powers are still vulnerable."

"We wrote eight possible spells to get us to the past," explained Paige. "You told us that we'll need the Power of Three to go back."

"Sounds right," said Chris. He orbed everyone to the manor's attic.

"What about your memories?" Piper asked.

"I've been trying to undo Wyatt's spell, but I can't."

"We'll use the Power of Three," suggested Phoebe. "Do we do that first or open a portal first?"

Paige looked over the list of spells.

"I guess that depends," answered Chris. "Should I go back with you?"

"Yes!" Piper said quickly.

"Then let's go back to the past first and you can restore my memories there. As soon as you use a Power of Three spell, Wyatt will sense it and he'll come straight here. I can hold him off for a little while, but not long enough for a second spell.

Chris found a piece of chalk and drew a triquetra on a wall.

"I think we can modify this spell to activate a portal and give Chris his memories back at the same time," Paige announced.

Phoebe was next to her. She read over the spell and concurred.

"Let's try it, then."

"We call upon the Power of Three, to set things back to what they should be. Take us four back to the proper time, fill what was taken from Chris' mind."

The triquetra glowed and Chris started to waver.

"Are you okay?" Piper asked.

"Did it work?" Phoebe asked. "Do you have your memories back?"

"Yeah, I have all of them," Chris replied in a colder tone.

Wyatt shimmered behind Chris.

Chris, aware of Wyatt's presence, immediately thrust his arms open, throwing Phoebe and Paige into the triquetra.

Piper, who was standing off to the side, remained in the future.

"Chris," Wyatt began. "What - "

Chris turned around and telekinetically threw Wyatt across the room.

"I remember everything now, Wyatt."

Piper moved towards the triquetra.

"Mom, stop!" Wyatt commanded.

"You know you won't stop her," Chris said. "Mom, go."

"Take my hand, Chris," Piper said. "I'm not taking any chances and risk leaving you behind."

"Chris," Wyatt began.

"The spell restored all my memories, Wyatt. I remember that this wasn't the first time I tried to rebel against you. This wasn't the first time you wiped my memories."

"This was the first time you succeeded in going back," Wyatt replied.

"So, what? That whole thing with Bianca was just for show?"

"We were just going through the motions," said Wyatt.

Chris clenched his fists, but hesitated and turned towards the portal, where Piper was waiting.

"Chris, don't go," Wyatt implored.

"Are you going to force me to stay?"

"I've never liked using my powers against you," Wyatt replied as he approached Chris.

The two brothers stood face to face, inches apart.

"You shouldn't have gotten Bianca mixed up in this," Chris quietly said.

"I ran out of ideas. I'm sorry, Chris. Let me make it up to you. I'll fix this."

Chris gently kissed Wyatt's forehead. "Let me fix it."

Chris flung Wyatt across the room again and walked backyards towards the portal, ignoring a final plea from Wyatt. Once he grabbed onto Piper's left hand, he stepped through with her.

* * *

The next day, Chris was at P3, packing, when Leo orbed in.

"Chris," Leo said.

"Hi, Leo."

"Piper told me you were moving into the manor."

"She wouldn't let me decline the offer."

"She told me everything else too, of course. Chris, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I treated you like a bad guy."

"Leo, I knew what I was doing. I knew what the consequences would be, and I was willing to accept them. You don't have to apologize."

"I still want to. We just got off on the wrong foot, with Valhalla, and - "

"Leo," Chris interrupted. "When I manipulated things so that you'd become an Elder stuck in Valhalla and I'd be the new Whitelighter . . . What if I told you that was your idea? The future you, I mean."

Leo took a couple seconds to recover from the thought. "Was it?"

Chris' only response was a raised eyebrow.

"So," Leo said after realizing he wasn't going to get an answer. "Do you want some help packing?"

"Sure."

* * *

At the manor, Piper was transplanting some newly-purchased white flowers into a garden when a teenager walked by.

"Those are beautiful," the teenager said.

"Thank you. I've become accustomed to seeing these around; well, the red ones at least, but I've never really appreciated them until very recently."

"Yeah, I didn't know they could be white. I think they go very well with everything else."

Piper smiled. "I'm Piper Halliwell. What's your name? I haven't seen you around before."

"We just moved to our new house a couple blocks away. I'm just trying to get a feel for the neighborhood. I'm Anna Shuren."

Piper snapped off a stalk of the flower and gave it to Anna.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Anna. Welcome to the neighborhood. This is a great place to live, so I hope you'll enjoy living here and I hope we'll see you often."

"Thank you," Anna replied with a wide smile.

After Anna departed, Piper looked back at the manor, knowing that her family was waiting for her. As soon as she finished, she went back in to join them.

* * *

That's the end. Thank you so much again for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting. The response I got meant a lot to me. I hope you all enjoyed the story at least somewhat.


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